- Didactic Year 1 Fall- 18
- Didactic Year1 Spring- 22
- Didactic Year 1 Summer- 19
- Clinical Year 2 Fall- 19
- Clinical Year 2 Spring- 18
- Clinical Year 2 Summer- 12
- Advanced Didactic Semester Fall- 16
History
1997: The PAP was founded and admitted its first students in 1997. It was fully accredited and graduated its first class in 1999. In 2000 and 2001, 100% of graduates passed the PANCE on their first attempt. 1999: Dr. Richard Fien started as adjunct faculty in 1999 and became full-time faculty and eventually Medical Director. He is the longest-serving faculty member and has advised students and faculty for over two decades. 2001: The Physician Assistant Program was awarded a three–year grant of $439,917 by the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Professions. The Barry University Primary Care PA Training Project focused on the development of a Cultural Competency Curriculum and improved computer and online capability of the program. The major focus was delivery of primary care to rural, medically underserved and disadvantaged communities. The grant received supplementation in 2003. 2002: The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant renewed Program accreditation for five years. 2004: The Program received another grant over $475,000 for its third three–year grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions to support distance education. In 2005 the expansion began at the University Partnership Center at St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Florida. Students began attending first-year didactic lectures delivered simultaneously between St. Petersburg and Miami Shores. Although Hurricane Wilma caused the Miami Shores offices to reside in temporary headquarters, operations continued uninterrupted. The Second–year students enrolled in the expansion program at St. Petersburg, Florida began their first rotations on Florida’s west coast. 2007: The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant renewed Program accreditation for two years. The department housing the Program broke ground on a new facility in Miami Shores, the Center for Community Health and Minority Medicine. The new building became the classrooms, offices, and labs for the program for the next ten years. 2010: Dr. Culver, the first PAP faculty member retired after a respectable academic career that included national acclaim in the field of ethics. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded Barry University's Physician Assistant program $1.5 million in grants to address primary health care shortages in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). This facilitated an expansion to the USVI. 2011: Students on the island of St. Croix started attending classes there through the same interactive videoconferencing that serves the St. Petersburg campus. The Barry PAP maintained classrooms, faculty, and staff to graduate 24 students on the island every year for several years. Many graduates and even faculty have stayed on the islands to extend valuable healthcare to the people of St. Croix. The St. Croix PA Program faculty successfully advocated for the passage of new legislation governing PA practice in the U. S. Virgin Islands. PA Program faculty testified effectively in support of the proposed law before the legislature of the Virgin Islands. 2016: The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant renewed Program accreditation for ten years. 2017: Terrible hurricanes threatened the Western Caribbean. Barry University chartered a plane to retrieve all PA Program students, faculty, staff, all their families, and pets before the second hurricane made a direct hit on the island and destroyed the classrooms and labs. St. Croix campus students were absorbed into the Miami Shores campus. ARC-PA accepted the change in class size to 76 for the Miami Shores campus. The St. Croix facilities could not be rebuilt. The PA Program maintains close ties to the clinical affiliates on the island; students still attend clinical rotations there, extending much-needed healthcare to the people of St. Croix and surrounding islands. The PA Program transitioned into the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, now called the College of Health and Wellness. The PA Program benefited from the change in departments in many ways. For instance, a strong Dean has advocated leveraging synergies for students in varied programs to facilitate participation in Interprofessional Education exercises. The PA Program has flourished in the new department, sharing new simulation and Physical Diagnosis Lab spaces with students in similar healthcare programs. 2018: The PA Program welcomed its third Program Director, Dr. Randi Cooperman. Having been an Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Education, she has brought leadership, organization, and stability. 2020: The PA Program led the way to flexing to distance education during the pandemic. The didactic year students were seamlessly transitioned to remote education in three days, with no interruption of teaching and learning. The clinical year students experienced a brief interruption of clinical practice experiences, during which time the clinical faculty provided interactive supplemental clinical learning experiences. The Program also re-sequenced some Advanced Didactic semester courses so that the Class of 2020 graduated on time, as have subsequent cohorts. The Program has since transitioned back to in-person labs and lectures, remaining an in-person Program. Barry University provided the whole University with comprehensive support including education, vaccination, testing, tracing, and Flex-learning Professional Learning Communities for faculty. Two PA program faculty were leaders for other University faculty learning to use online resources to provide synchronous distance education during social distancing. The Primary Care Board Review Conference moved to virtual format, allowing graduates and other more remote attendees to attend the CME activity and prepare for recertification. 2022: The Miami Shores campus completed a move to new classrooms with interactive videoconferencing, offices, and a new Physical Diagnosis Lab.
Barry University Physician Assistant Competencies
- Medical knowledge regarding the basic medical sciences and pathophysiology; the diagnosis and management of disease; and the promotion of health.
- Interpersonal & communication skills involving verbal, nonverbal and written exchange of information, which results in effective information exchange with patients, patients’ families, physicians, professional associates, and the healthcare system.
- Patient care that is effective, patient-centered, efficient and equitable in the treatment of health problems and the promotion of wellness.
- Professionalism which emphasizes the practice of the values and ideals, which are embraced by the helping professions, and result in the practice of medicine in a manner that is ethical, sensitive to diverse patient populations and adhering to legal and regulatory requirements.
- Practice-based learning and improvement in regards to the ability to engage in critical analysis of their own practice experience, medical literature and other information resources for the purpose of evaluation and improvement of patient care practices.
- Systems-based practice which delivers the highest quality care at the most advantageous value, within the complex health systems providing medical care.
Upon graduation from the Barry University Physician Assistant Program, students will demonstrate proficiency in entry level competencies:
Medical Knowledge
- Effectively and appropriately apply medical knowledge in the preventive care, diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients and their medical problems.
- Appropriately select, justify and accurately interpret diagnostic clinical tests and imaging.
- Integrate history and physical findings and diagnostic studies to formulate a differential diagnosis.
- Diagnose clinical problems and develop treatment plans.
- Apply therapeutic strategies for the management of clinical conditions.
- Demonstrate pharmacological knowledge of indications, contraindications, side effects, and interactions for common pharmaceuticals.
Students will acquire the medical knowledge necessary for patient care, along with skills in clinical diagnosis, ordering of laboratory tests, and application of therapeutic strategies for management of clinical problems.
Interpersonal and Communication Skills
- Establish collaborative, constructive and respectful relationships with patients and families.
- Communicate effectively with patients and families of diverse background and cultures.
- Communicate effectively and respectfully with all members of the inter-professional team.
- Effectively and empathetically discuss serious, sensitive, and difficult topics.
- Elicit and address patients’ concerns, and preferences and incorporate them into management plans.
- Document and present patient information in an organized fashion, including assessment and plan.
Students will communicate effectively and respectfully with patients and with other healthcare providers. In their communications with other healthcare providers, students will also learn the skills of accurately documenting and presenting patient information.
Patient Care
- Gather complete and focused histories in an organized fashion.
- Conduct complete and focused physical examinations in a systematic fashion.
- Develop and carry out patient management plans.
- Present patient encounters and develop an assessment and plan.
- Document patient encounters and develop an assessment and plan.
- Perform patient counseling and education regarding diagnoses, treatment options, and preventive health measures.
- Consider social context in patient care plans.
Students will acquire the skills of history taking, physical examination, oral presentation, and written documentation. The students also gain skills in promoting wellness while considering individual patient needs.
Professionalism
- Display sensitivity to patients of diverse backgrounds, demonstrating respect for and sensitivity to culture, race/ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, disability status or special needs, gender, and sexual orientation.
- Demonstrate respect and compassion, when interacting with peers, interprofessional healthcare providers, patients, and families.
- Behave in a responsible, reliable, and dependable manner with patients, families, and other health professionals.
- Practice ethically and with integrity, maintain patient confidentiality, obtain appropriate informed consent, and respond to medical errors.
- Adhere to the legal and regulatory requirements governing PA practice and the role of the PA.
- Adhere to institutional and professional standards and regulation for personal, patient and public safety.
Students will learn to establish respectful professional relationships, demonstrate responsible work habits, and apply ethical principles in their interactions with others and in their clinical decisions. Students will also learn to demonstrate adherence to legal and regulatory requirements. Professionalism also requires that physician assistants practice without impairment from substance abuse, cognitive deficiency, or mental illness.
Practice-Based Learning
- Enter and manage medical information in given databases, electronic medical records.
- Appraise and assimilate the scientific evidence from the literature and apply it to clinical decision making.
- Apply evidence-based medicine to improve the care of individual patients and the community.
- Adhere to established practice guidelines in care of patients with routine medical ailments.
- Demonstrate commitment to ongoing personal and professional development.
Students will learn to engage in critical analysis of their own practice experience for the purpose of self-improvement and improvement of their patient care practices. This involves information management, and the practice of evidence-based medicine. Students will use electronic medical records, access online medical information, and assimilate evidence from scientific studies in patient care.
Systems-Based Practice
- Work cooperatively with physicians and other interprofessional healthcare providers as a member of a healthcare team and utilize the expertise of other professionals and experts.
- Practice cost-effective health care and resource allocation that does not compromise quality of care.
- Promote community health and address barriers to care.
Students progressively gain skill in working as members of interprofessional healthcare teams. They will learn how patient care relates to the health care system as a whole and use the system to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care.
Program Goals
- The Program will support students in a learning environment that fosters their success in the Program. IC
- The Program will engage students in experiences that enhance their communication with diverse patients and professionals. CS, SJ
- The program will graduate competent medical providers with the knowledge and skills to provide patient care. K&T
